I’ve been making pea soup for years. Ina Garten really has the best recipe so I’ve made
my own alterations to her original recipe. The woman is a genius if you ask me. I have
been watching Barefoot Contessa for as long as I can remember. My spin on the her recipe
is adding pureed spinach for added nutrition and a really vibrant colour. I also like to
substitute potatoes for rutabaga, squash, or sweet potato. The best part of this soup-
it’s the easiest to throw together! Hope you love it.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• pinch of chilli flakes
• 1 tsp himalayan salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 4 carrots, diced
• 1 cup rutabaga, diced (can also sub with sweet potato, parsnip, red potato)
• 2 1/2 cups split peas (rinsed, and divided)
• 8 cups organic low sodium chicken or vegetable stock (homemade is always best!) +
extra for spinach
• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
Directions:
1. In a large stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with the olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent.
2.Add your carrots, rutabaga, half of your split peas, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Skim off the foam while cooking.
3. Add the remaining split peas and continue to simmer for another 40 minutes. Stir frequently. Season to taste.
4. When your soup is finished cooking, turn off the heat. In a high powered blender add your fresh spinach and enough stock to get the spinach moving. Blend until completely smooth.
5. Stir the spinach mixture into the soup. Serve with extra virgin olive
oil and freshly cracked pepper. I also like to add crunchy chickpeas and toasted pepitas
for added texture and crunch!
Lots of you have been asking for my vegetable soup recipe after
posting it many times on my Instagram story. During the winter months, I make this soup
probably every two weeks at least. During the colder months, I find it harder to get all
my veggies in, because I don’t crave salads as much. I love making a soup that packs as
many vegetables as possible. I basically end up with more of a stew than a soup because
my veggie to broth ratio is always completely off! What I love most about this soup is
that it really can be altered anyway you like. You can add or remove ingredients without
changing the taste. The key is knowing when to add in the veggies so nothing turns into
complete mush. Remember you can always add beans, quinoa, rice or even tofu to add extra
protein and fibre. Hope you love it!
I don’t know about you, but between the darkness, cold weather,
shorter days etc. my whole system just feels kind of off. My body is needing more sleep
than usual, and needing a lot more warming foods - hello carbs! I think it is so
important to be in tune with our bodies and give them exactly what they are asking for
and also ask ourselves why? I have been so incredibly busy (in the best kind of way)
that my body is just telling me I need to slow down slightly, get an extra 30 minutes of
sleep and ease up at the gym. The cold weather makes me crave soups, granola, bread,
muffins and anything else that sticks to the bones! Am I alone here? Luckily there is
this great community that allows us to eat all these delicious treats in the healthiest
way possible. I have been making my 
